Power Macintosh G4 Cube

Power Macintosh G4 Cube was a new design in Macintosh
computers. It gave a G4 performance for compact dimensions and smaller
expandability (no PCI or sound card). It was shipped with 450 or 500MHz
G4 processor, 64MB (later 128MB) of RAM and 20GB hard disk (later
changed to 30GB). It has 3 RAM slots, AirPort card slot and CD-RW or DVD
drive. The high-end version had 60GB hard drive and 256MB of RAM, but
even in its cheaper versions it was too expansive for offered
enhancements.

Model No:

M7886

Year:

2000

Discontinued:

2001

CPU:

PowerPC G4 450MHz

RAM:

256MB

Max. RAM:

1,5GB

RAM Type:

3 PC100 DIMMs

Hard disk:

20GB IDE, 3.5" SL

Floppy drives:

None

Other drives:

Slot-loading 24x CD-RW (DVD in
some models, on order)

Graphics:

AGP (AGP 2x - ATI Rage 128 Pro, Radeon or
GeForce 2 MX)

Sound:

Stereo, USB-based output (external
sound chip)

Display:

Depends on graphics card installed
(default: VGA or ADC)

Dedicated OS:

Mac System 9

Maximum OS:

Mac OS X 10.4

Expansions:

USB, FireWire

Power supply connector:

1,3 - +DC
2,4 - GND

28V DC at 8.5A - may work on lower voltage (such
as 24V/5A) but it won't be stable, HDD will spin down and
optical drive won't work.

Power switch is a touch sensor on the top. Reset
and interrupt switches are on the bottom.

I have no idea where my unit was used. I got it from
internet auction. It is in a good shape, but I have no speakers nor
power supply, so I had to use 24V one - OS was installed from USB stick,
as CD-ROM doesn't work with 24V.

Memory upgrade

Disassembly procedure.

Cube is a compact construction, yet it's easier to
disassemble and reassemble than, for example, 800MHz eMac with ATI
Graphics.

Removing Cube from plastic container:
1. Turn it upside down. You can see a rectangular piece of metal in the
center with a small hole. Push it and carefully pull then. It should
come off forming a handle and unlocking computer. Pull the computer (called
"Core" by Apple) out of the plastic case using this handle.
During re-assembly remember to correctly position the "Core" so
connectors side meet cut-out in enclosure.

The touch sensor has sharp edges, and these should be
kept clear. Don't destroy them as you won't be able to turn Cube on.

Removing hard drive
1. Find AirPort connector. It is located on a small piece of metal. This
piece is a door which can be opened by pressing latch near Cube's edge.
Open it.
2. Here you'll see two connectors: a flat ribbon and power Molex
connector. Disconnect them.
3. Push the handle back in.
4. Place the cube like it is in the case - power switch up, placing it
on connectors. Look to the top and find 3 screws: 2 on heatsink (opposite
to power switch) and one over it. Loose them, but don't remove.
5. Now you can lift the heatsink a few milimeters and slide the drive
out.